Those will be the final statistics for Mathieu’s rookie season, and they don’t begin to tell the story of the impact he made.

Mathieu suffered two torn ligaments in his left knee against the Rams last Sunday and was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday.

The Cardinals haven’t played a down yet without Mathieu, but they know how hard it will be to replace him.

“He meant a lot to us because of his flexibility and his positions,” coach Bruce Arians said. “It will take two guys to take his place.”

That’s because Mathieu, 5 feet 9 inches and 186 pounds, was really a corner playing free safety. Whatever negatives there were to his lack of size, Mathieu made up for it with instinct, the ability to cover slot receivers and to pressure quarterbacks on the occasional blitz.

“In today’s football, people spread you out, and often times it takes a certain kind of safety out of the game, but not Tyrann,” said Fox analyst John Lynch.

Lynch admitted he’s biased when it comes to assessing the importance of safeties. He played the position for 15 years with Tampa Bay and Denver, and he’s a semifinalist this year for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It’s not an easy position to play, Lynch said, especially for someone such as Mathieu, making the transition after playing cornerback in college.

“He’s a difference maker, but everyone knew the playmaker part from watching him at LSU,” said Lynch, who has worked two Cardinals games this year. “What surprised people is he could transition so seamlessly to a new a position. He’s wise beyond his years. He’s instinctive and he kind of understands and gets football. That’s often the biggest hurdle.”

Some defensive coordinators believe nickel cornerback is the hardest defensive position to play. The field is open to a receiver lining up near the middle of the field, and it takes an athletic defensive back to cover him.

In that role, Mathieu reminds Lynch of former Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber, who at 5-10 and 186 pounds, was close to the same size.

“Much like Ronde, for a little guy you wonder how they can be so physical,” Lynch said.

Mathieu’s problems at LSU, including repeatedly testing positive for marijuana, were well documented. That’s what happens when you were a Heisman finalist the year before.

The Cardinals took a risk when they drafted Mathieu in the third round. And while General Manager Steve Keim raves about Mathieu as a player and person, he often attaches fine print: Mathieu’s challenge is staying on his current path.

Mathieu quickly won over teammates and others around him with his personality and work ethic. He’s soft-spoken and honest about his past.

Others with his history might have placed certain subjects off limits. But ask Mathieu a question and he’ll answer it. He’s been on time and attentive in meetings, displaying a work ethic that takes some players years to develop.

The Cardinals’ older players treat Mathieu, and protect him, like a little brother.

“My thing is it’s more about his personality, his urge and his mentality on the field,” said outside linebacker John Abraham, who, at 35, is 14 years older than Mathieu.

“I’m used to talking to him on the field. Even though he’s a young guy, he prepares like a vet and he acts like a vet. I think that’s one of the biggest things we’re going to lose.”

Stat pack

6-1 Cardinals’ record at home.

2-4 Record on the road.

17-8 Bruce Arians’ record in past 25 games as head coach. He was 9-3 as the Colts interim coach last year.

25 Number of takeaways by the Cardinals this year. Four teams have more: Buccaneers, (29), Chiefs (28), Seahawks (28) and Panthers (26).

11 Number of sacks by outside linebacker John Abraham. He’s the first Cardinals player since Bertrand Berry in 2004 to record double-digit sacks in a season.

5 Number of seasons in which Larry Fitzgerald has caught at least 10 touchdown passes. Only eight other players in NFL history have accomplished that.

3 Number of times the Cardinals failed to score in the fourth quarter of road games. They lost all three.

Coach’s corner

“Antoine Cason did a great job jumping in this ballgame and did a really fine job on tight ends and playing man to man. Javier Arenas has played a little safety. Jerraud Powers jumped in there at nickel and Antoine jumped out at (covering a) wide receiver, so we have enough cover guys, but now you have to substitute to get what we had before with a non-substitution situation.”

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